Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough in the
Pipili gang rape case in Odisha, police on Sunday arrested the
prime accused from Jatani area near here, while search was on
to nab three others believed to have been involved in the
crime.
Prime accused Prashant Pradhan alias Pasei was arrested by
a special squad from Jatani, about 22 km from here, Crime
Branch SP, RC Behera told reporters here.
The arrest was made a day after the CID-Crime Branch of
police released the photographs of Pradhan and three other
accused named in the November 28 rape case of the Dalit girl,
he said.
Crime Branch Police had formed four squads which raided
different locations as part of efforts to nab the accused in
the rape case, Behera said, adding the arrest of Pradhan was a
"major success".
Now the process is on to nab three other accused-- Sukant
Pradhan, Purna Chandra Swain and Premananda Nayak -- whose
photographs have already been released to enable people to
furnish information about their whereabouts, he said.
Meanwhile, follow-up steps are being taken a day after
a specialist committee of doctors decided to shift the rape
victim to AIIMS, Delhi, for better treatment.
"The girl's condition has improved from coma to
semi-comatose state. The specialist committee monitoring her
health has decided to shift her to AIIMS for better
treatment," Sanjita Das, Administrative Officer of SCB Medical
College Hospital, Cuttack said.
The 19-year-old girl was shifted to SCB Medical College
Hospital from the Capital Hospital here following an order
from Orissa High Court, which would be informed about the
committee's decision shortly, hospital sources said.
Though the girl was allegedly raped by four persons on
November 28, 2011, police registered an FIR on January 9, 2012
after the State Human Rights Commission intervened.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012, 18:15